Sterilizer container



Jan. 25, 1944.

H. e. SKALLER 2,340,024 STERIILIZER CONTAINER Filed Sept. 50, 1941" 2 Sheets-Shqet 1 ATTORN EY S Jan. 25, 1944. a. G. KA LER 2,340,024

STERILIZER CONTAINER I Filed Sept. 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i LINE IN ETEPILIZING CHAMBER Flea. {A

ATTOR NEYS Patented Jan. 25, 1944 a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

' 2,340,024 r V srnmmzsn commune Hans George Skaller, Bronx, N. Y., assignor to The Hospital Supply Company, New York, N. Y., a copartnership, composed of Leon L. Watters and William G. Watters Application September 30, 1941,Serial No. 412,925

,1 8 Claims. 31. 21 -103) My invention relates to a new and improved sterilizer container.

One of the objects of my invention is to pro- ;vide an improved sterilizer container of the type which is used for holding gauze, towels. gowns and similar articles, while said container and its contents are sterilized by steam or other medium in a sterilizing chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sterilizer container which will secure proper penetration of the steam into the spaces between the various layers of the articles whichare located in the container.

" Another object of the invention is to provide a sterilizer container which will prevent the for- Another object of the invention is to provide a durable drum which will not be dented out of its normal shape and which is shaped to provide longitudinal pockets through which the steam 'can pass from inlet portholes to outlet portholes.

Other objects of the invention will be stated in the annexed description and drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. l is a front elevation, partially in section, of the improved device, which is drum-shapedin this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the'nesting of a .plurality of the improved sterilizeridrums.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and it illustrates the circulation of the steam through a plurality of nested drums of the improved type. The device comprises a body 'I which ismade of any sm'table metal. This body I is shaped to provide a series of longitudinal recesses 2, so as ;to provide inner ribs. In this'embodiment, the :body I has a cover 3 which is hingedly connected to said body. The hinge connection is of any conventional type and it includes the body'pla'te ,4- which is riveted or otherwise secured to the body I, by an air-tight and steam-tight connection. This connection is secured by means of rivets 5. The cover 3 is similarly riveted to a companion hinge plate 6, which secured to the cover by means of rivets l. The hinge plates and 6 are connected by the usual pintle 8. When the cover is closed, its peripheral portion preferably, but not necessarily, abuts the rim of the upstanding wall of the drum. For convenience, the device will be described with reference to the vertical position which is shown in Fig. 1.

The upstanding wall of the drum has a reduced 'u'pper. end-portion 9, whose top is provided with an integral rolled bead I0. An annular shoulder is thus formed in said upstanding wall. This end-portion 9 is provided with a plurality of ports or holes I I, which extend circumferentially around the end-portion 9. The central part of the cover is provided with an upwardly extending bulge or projection I2, whose top wall is substantially planar. This top wall merges into the cover 3 by an intermediate wall portion I2a of partial'dome-shape. This bulge or projection I2 has a central recessed portion [4, to which the handle I5 is connected by a pintl I6. Fig. 1 shows the handle IS in its down or inoperative position, in which position said handle is located below the top of the recess I4. The vertical wall or flange of the cover 3 is provided with an outwardly rolled bead II. The cover'is locked by means of a latch I8 of any conventional type, which cooperates with the flange I! 'for holding the cover firmly in the closed position which is shown in Fig. 1. The latch I8 is pivotally connected at E9 to the usual support 20, which is of any conventional type. The latch I8 has a bore which is entered by the locking projection 2| of the cover, when the latch I8 is in the closing position. The latch I8 is held in the operative position which is shown in Fig. 1, by any suitable resilient means which are not disclosed. I As shown in Fig. 1, when the cover is closed, there is a continuous annular space between the reduced body portion 9 and the inner vertical wall or flan e of the cover. I I The bottom wall of the body I is joined to the vertical wall thereof by an annular rib 22. The major portion 23 of the bottom wall is located above said bead 22. The peripheral portion 23;: of said bottom wall is also located above the bead 22 and it is provided with a plurality of ports or portholes 24. Each bottom porthole 24 is substantially vertically alined'with a top porthole l I, The internal ribs of the body l provide a; series of shallow pockets or spaces S, and each said .space 'S is vertically alined, with one of the bottom portholes 24 and one of the top portholes ll. However, this may be varied and som of, the upper portholes may be Vertically alined with the walls of the recesses 2. The top and bottom ends of each pocket are close to a respective pair of ports, and this distance maybe made as small as is desired, so that steam can freely pass through each pocket from an inlet port to an outlet port.

The vertical ribs which are provided by the walls of the recesses 2 stiffen and strengthen the vertical wall of the drum. Likewise, when the drum is packed tightly with fabric articles, said articles cannot clog the pockets, because said pockets are too deep and too narrow, even if the tightly packed fabric articles partially enter said pockets. Numerous free passages are therefore provided for the fiow of the steam from one end of the drum to the other end thereof. It is important that the steam inlets and the steam outlets should be located as closely as possible to the respective ends of the drum, in order to fill the drum fully and uniformly with steam, and to prevent the formation of air pockets, by driving the air completely out of the drum. These results have not been secured in the conventional device. The steam is preferably moved upwardly from the lowest point of the drum to its highest point.

' As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a plurality of the improved devices can be nested so that the bulge 12 of each cover then abuts the inner wall portion 23 of the bottom wall of the next adjacent drum, as these elements have interfitting shapes. When the devices are thus assembled, the formation of air pockets is eliminated because the bottom ports 24 are provided adjacent the periphery of the bottom Wall of the drum, and the cated by the respective arrows A in Figs. 3 and 4.

Of course, the direction of flow of the steam can be reversed.

After the sterilization, the drum can be placed upon a horizontal planar support T, such as a table or the like. The bottom perforations 24 are then automatically protected from contact with the external atmosphere, by means of the bead 22 whichmakes a close fit with the planar surface of the table T. The ports H are then laterally enclosed by the cover, thus substantially preventing the entrance of dust or dirt into the inside of the container.

The drawings are substantially to scale.

Although the article can be made in different sizes and the relative dimensions can be varied, the following is a practical example of the intion:

The total height of the body of the drum, including the reduced portion 9, is about 9 inches. The total height of the reduced body portion 9 of the body is about 1 inch. The width of the base of each recess 2 is about .25 of an inch and the circumferential spacin between adjacent recesses 2 is about .75 of an inch. The depth of each recess 2 is about .25 of an inch. These dimensions provide the spaces S through which the steam can flow during the sterilization.

As shown in Fig. 4, the steam which is sent through the steam chamber of the sterilizing apparatus, passes longitudinally through each device, while its cover laterally encloses th upper portholes H, but without sealing said portholes II. The peripheral part of the top wall of each cover, in said nested arrangement, is spaced from the adjacent wall-member 23a and its portholes 24, so that steam can freely enter the portholes 24 of the respective nested devices. The steam which passes out of the portholes H of a respective sterilizer, can pass freely out of the annular space between said portholes II and the flange of the cover. The cover is closed during the sterilizing operation, and while the devices are taken out of the steam chamber of the sterilizing apparatus. The sterilizer is then placed upon a table, so as to shut off communication between the bottom portholes 24 and the outer atmosphere. The entrance of dust or dirt through the portholes II is substantially eliminated during the period in which the cover is kept closed.

When I refer to the recesses 2 as upstanding recesses, this term is not limited to vertical recesses.

As shown in Fig. 3, when the nested devices have their longitudinal axes horizontal, and said devices are supported on the horizontal floor of the sterilizing chamber, the devices rest upon the strong beads I! of their respective covers and the bodies of the containers are supported above the floor line. 1

The invention is not limited to a device which has the drum-shape illustrated herein.

The improved device requires no manipulation of any kind, save for closing and opening the cover. In the conventional type of device, the nurse must remember to operate the slide band to open the portholes when the device is inserted into the sterilizer, and to close the portholes when the device is taken out of the sterilizer. The forgetfulness of the nurse sometimes results in no sterilization.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A sterilizer device having a body which has a bottom wall which has ports, said body having a laterally reduced top-portion which has an up,- standing wall which is provided with additional 0 ports, a cover having a flange which has a free edge, said flange being laterally spaced from and laterally enclosing said additional ports when said cover is in closed position, the free edge of the cover then being spaced unwardly from the 5 bottom of said reduced top-portion, said bottom wall having an upwardly dished wall-portion which is spaced from the first-mentioned ports, the top wall of said cover having a central portion which is shaped to interfit with said upwardly dished portion, so that when a plurality of said devices are nested, said central portion of the cover of a respective device is located in said dished wall-portion of the next succeeding device, and said cover is spaced from the first-mentioned ports of the next succeding device.

2. A sterilizer. device having inlet ports and outlet ports, the wall of said device being shaped to provide pockets which are aligned with said ports, said pockets having open ends through which steam can enter from the inlet ports and from which steam can pass out of said pockets to the outlet ports, said device having a cover which laterally encloses and which is laterally spaced from said outlet ports when the cover is in closed position, said pockets being sufficiently narrow to prevent them from being clogged by tightly packed fabric articles which are packed in said device.

3. A sterilizer device having inlet ports and outlet ports, the wall of said device being shaped to provide pockets which are in communication with said ports, said pockets having open ends through which steam can enter from the inlet ports and from which steam can pass out of said pockets to the outlet ports, said device having a cover which laterally encloses and which is laterally spaced from said outlet ports when the cover is in closed position, said pockets being sufficient- 1y narrow to prevent them from being clogged by tightly packed fabric articles which are packed in said device.

4. A drum for use in sterilizing fabric articles, said drum having a bottom wall and an upstanding wall, the junction between said bottom wall and said upstanding wall being shaped wholly to abut a planar surface, said bottom wall having a peripheral portion which is located above said junction and which has ports, said bottom wall having an inner portion which is upwardly dished relative to said peripheral portion, said upstanding wall having upstanding ribs which form upstanding pockets in said upstanding wall, the top-portion of said upstanding wall being laterally reduced to form an annular shoulder, said upstanding wall having additional ports which are located above said shoulder, a cover having a peripheral portion which abuts the rim of said upstanding wall when the cover is closed, said cover having an inner portion which projects above its peripheral portion, said cover having a depending flange which laterally encloses and which is spaced laterally from said additional ports when the cover is closed, the inner portion of the cover and the inner portion of the bottom wall having interfitting shapes.

5. A drum-shaped sterilizer device, said device having a body which has a bottom wall and an upstanding wall, said device including a cover, said upstanding wall being shaped to provide a series of upstanding pockets, said device having inlet ports and outlet ports, said upstanding pockets being located between said inlet ports and said outlet ports.

6. A drum-shaped sterilizer device, said device having a body which has a bottom wall and an upstanding wall, said device including a cover, said upstanding wall having a series of circumferentially spaced ribs which are substantially parallel to the axis of said upstanding wall, said device having inlet ports and outlet ports, said ribs being located between said inlet ports and said outlet ports.

7. A sterilizer device having a body which has a bottom wall which has ports, said body also having an upstanding wall which has additional ports, a cover having a flange which is laterally spaced from and which laterally encloses said additional ports when said cover is in closed position, said additional ports being sumciently close to the upper end of said upstanding wall to ensure the elimination of air when steam is flowed into one set of ports and through the device outwardly through the other set of ports.

8. A sterilizer device which has a body, said body having an upstanding wall and a bottom wall, said bottom wall having ports therein, said upstanding wall having additional ports located adjacent the top of said upstanding wall, said upstanding wall being open at its top, said device having a cover for said upstanding wall, said cover having a depending flange, said flange being laterally spaced from and laterally surrounding said additional ports when the cover is in closed position, the bottom edge of said flange being located below said additional ports and above said bottom wall when said cover is in closed position.

H. GEORGE SKALLER. 

